Four reputed Los Angeles gang members have been arrested in connection with several residential burglaries in Rancho Palos Verdes and surrounding areas, sheriff’s deputies said Monday.

The men were arrested Thursday when Sheriff’s Department investigators became aware that a suspected crew of “knock-knock” burglars were possibly casing neighborhoods in the city and other South Bay communities. Knock-knock burglars check to see if someone is home before breaking into the rear of a residence.

Working closely with Simi Valley police detectives, who were also investigating the same burglary crew, deputies staked out the area near Hawthorne Boulevard and Verde Ridge Road to look for a dark-colored sport utility vehicle with no license plates believed used in the crimes, deputies said.

Carrying police scanner

As deputies patrolled, a black BMW SUV without license plates drove south on Hawthorne Boulevard. Deputies pulled it over and discovered nearly $10,000 worth of jewelry inside.

Deputies also found dark beanies with eye holes cut out, gloves, and a police radio scanner tuned to the local area law enforcement agency inside the vehicle.

Within minutes of the traffic stop, deputies determined a burglary had occurred in the 6500 block of Verde Ridge Road and the property stolen during the crime was in the SUV.

Arrested on suspicion of burglary were Andre Story, 24, Deon Oden, 29, Bryant Clark, 29, and Daryl Moses, all of Los Angeles. According to deputies, Story is a convicted felon with a history of arrests including residential burglary and weapons violations. Oden is a five-time convicted felon on active parole for a burglary conviction and has a criminal history that includes robbery, burglary and weapons violations, making him a candidate for a third strike. Clark is a convicted felon also on active parole for a robbery conviction, and has a criminal history that includes weapons violations, burglary and fraud.

Larry Altman has covered crime and court proceedings in Southern California since 1987. A graduate of Cal State Northridge, where he served as editor of the college newspaper, Altman has worked for the Daily Breeze since 1990. The Society of Professional Journalists named him a "Distinguished Journalist" in Los Angeles in 2006. Altman's work was featured twice on CBS' “48 Hours” and he appeared eight times with “Nancy Grace," who called him "dear." He has covered hundreds of homicides and many trials. Altman has crawled through a mausoleum to open a coffin, confronted husbands who killed their wives, wives who killed their husbands, and his coverage helped put a child molester and a murderer in prison. In his spare time, Altman is an avid Los Angeles Lakers and Dodgers fan, is the commissioner of a Fantasy Baseball league with several other current and former newspapermen, runs a real estate empire and likes to watch old movies on TCM.